Summit Daily letters: When will the violence end? (column)

Once again our nation has been rocked by violence on a scale few of us can comprehend. This time a gunman entered a house of worship, killing 26 congregants as they sat in what they assumed to be a safe place, a place of solace and meditation, a place of warmth and love, but which suddenly became a place of violence and fear, a place of anguish and death.

When will America's tolerance for violence end? When will we stand up and say, "no more"? When will we rise as one and insist that we do something to stem this rising tide of violence? Whether it is better mental health support, more effective weapons research and education, better community relations, better cooperation between governmental entities, whatever it takes, when will we insist it be done?

Your Summit Colorado Interfaith Council calls upon all of us to reach out to one another, to support those who may be suffering, to contact our governmental officials and ask that effective action be taken, that research be funded, and that we all stand together as one nation so that the scourge of violence might end.

We believe that all of us have a part to play in healing our communities and in the making of a more peaceful world.